I sucked in a breath. The tears were coming. Just hearing Amanda’s voice had opened the floodgates. I tried fanning myself. I was tired of crying. “Uh, we’re okay, I think. Have you guys been able to see my sister?”
“No.” She was moving somewhere, and suddenly her voice was clearer. “I’m in a closet now. I can hear you better this way.” She sighed. “No. They won’t even let us on her floor. Theresa snuck up, though. She said there were cops outside her door, but they caught her and escorted her back down here. Noah knows the hospital’s administrator, but even he couldn’t pull strings. We’re stuck. From what we’ve been able to overhear, though, her parents are flying in soon. She got quiet. “Emma, are those your parents?”
“No. Andrea was adopted.”
“Oh.”
Yeah. My throat burned.
“Okay.” She kept her voice at a whisper. “I saw one of Carter’s guys here, too. He walked through the lobby to the elevator. Theresa tried to slip into the elevator with him, but he didn’t let her. We don’t know if he went up to see your sister or if—”
“No. Drake’s there. The medics took him and my sister to the hospital. I’m sure Peter is there for him.”
She was quiet for a moment.
“They’re the security guards you just mentioned,” I explained.
“Oh. Gotcha. I didn’t know all their names.”
I nodded to myself. It felt so good to hear her voice, hear her laughing again. A lump formed in my throat. “Okay,” I rasped. “I’m assuming your boyfriend is a safe driver.”
“He’s a cop. He tends to speed sometimes, but yeah, I think he’s safe.” She laughed. “I’m glad everything’s okay. I’ve missed you, Ems.”
The lump grew, and I whispered back, “I’ve missed you, too.” I had missed all of them, even Noah. “I’ll see you in a few then.”
“Okay. See you.”
It felt weird getting into a car with Amanda’s boyfriend—and no one else. For an entire year I had been surrounded by Carter and his men. Being with a stranger brought old memories to the surface, back when I traveled alone—before Carter came back into my life and I was living with Mallory. I realized if she had seen me with this guy, she would’ve wanted to date him. And Amanda would’ve hated it. I chuckled.
“What’s that?” Brian asked, merging with the traffic.
“Nothing. Just ‘another time, another place’ sort of thought.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Amanda’s boyfriend. I shook my head. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” I was going to make her leave him. If someone made me leave Carter—I would’ve left them instead. “You love her?”
“I do.”
I nodded. “Good. She’s a good friend.”
“She’s a good person.”
“Yes, she is.”
He glanced at me before looking back to the road. “She cares about you a lot.”
I cared about her, too. My gaze fell to my lap, remembering the bomb that night. I had chased after her so she didn’t end it with him. “She really loves you.”
“I know,” he said. Then he cleared his throat. “Listen, uh. I’m not a fool. I know how tight you are with Amanda. I know about you, her, Mallory, and some guy she always describes as a pain in the ass.”
I smiled. Amanda had hated Ben more than I had.
“I know there’s history, and I know you’re in love with Carter Reed,” he continued. “I’m a cop, but I’m just trying to show you that I get the complexities of this situation.” He coughed again, shifting in his seat. “But, uh, I’m in it for the long haul. I don’t know how to say this. I guess, well, I never want Amanda to get hurt.” He held a hand out to emphasize his point. “So…you know… I—we can leave it at that. If you know what I mean.”
I wasn’t sure, but I bobbed my head up and down. “Oh. Okay.”
“I came to New York while she was there. She told me that woman on the news was your sister. Well, okay. That’s a lie. I saw the woman on the news, and I know who you are. You could be twins. Amanda kept quiet. I don’t know if she was going to tell me or not, but I came out because I wanted to support her any way I could.”
I snuck a peek at him. He wasn’t looking at me. His head moved up and down like he was talking to the traffic as he drove. He tugged at the collar of his shirt and his hand would wave in the air from time to time as he spoke.
He was nervous.
For some reason, that settled the nerves in my stomach. He clearly loved Amanda. I could hear it in his voice and I saw it now, in the way he tried to appease me. As he kept talking, I stopped listening, but I was glad I hadn’t made Amanda break up with him
“Carter said you were an honorable guy,” I told him.
He stopped mid-sentence and looked at me for a moment. “Really?”
I nodded and looked back to my lap, wrapping my hands around each other. “He did.”
“Oh.”
Before he said anything else, I murmured, “Treat her right. Always.”
“Oh.” This ‘oh’ was much quieter than the first one. “Yeah. I’m hoping to. The always part, I mean.”
“Yeah. I got it.”
“Not that you should—” He lifted his hand in the air again.
I cut him off. “She’ll say yes.”
“Oh,” he said a third time, but this one was breathless. His hand dropped to his lap. “Wow. Okay, I mean. Yeah.” He nodded to himself and sat straighter in the seat. “All right. Thank you.”
One more nod. My neck muscles were protesting from the continuous up and down motion. “Yep.” The sign for the hospital came up, and I pointed. “There’s our exit.”
“Oh, yeah.” He swung to the right lane, and it wasn’t long before he pulled up to the entrance, and I got out.
He held a hand up. “I won’t be long. She said they’re in the seventh floor lobby now.” Then he pulled away toward the parking ramp.
The doors slid open as I approached and walked inside. Right away, I heard, “Oh my god, Emma!”
Amanda and Theresa rushed for me. They threw their arms around me, and I was engulfed in the tightest group hug ever. Noah stood back and gave me a little wave.
“No.” She was moving somewhere, and suddenly her voice was clearer. “I’m in a closet now. I can hear you better this way.” She sighed. “No. They won’t even let us on her floor. Theresa snuck up, though. She said there were cops outside her door, but they caught her and escorted her back down here. Noah knows the hospital’s administrator, but even he couldn’t pull strings. We’re stuck. From what we’ve been able to overhear, though, her parents are flying in soon. She got quiet. “Emma, are those your parents?”
“No. Andrea was adopted.”
“Oh.”
Yeah. My throat burned.
“Okay.” She kept her voice at a whisper. “I saw one of Carter’s guys here, too. He walked through the lobby to the elevator. Theresa tried to slip into the elevator with him, but he didn’t let her. We don’t know if he went up to see your sister or if—”
“No. Drake’s there. The medics took him and my sister to the hospital. I’m sure Peter is there for him.”
She was quiet for a moment.
“They’re the security guards you just mentioned,” I explained.
“Oh. Gotcha. I didn’t know all their names.”
I nodded to myself. It felt so good to hear her voice, hear her laughing again. A lump formed in my throat. “Okay,” I rasped. “I’m assuming your boyfriend is a safe driver.”
“He’s a cop. He tends to speed sometimes, but yeah, I think he’s safe.” She laughed. “I’m glad everything’s okay. I’ve missed you, Ems.”
The lump grew, and I whispered back, “I’ve missed you, too.” I had missed all of them, even Noah. “I’ll see you in a few then.”
“Okay. See you.”
It felt weird getting into a car with Amanda’s boyfriend—and no one else. For an entire year I had been surrounded by Carter and his men. Being with a stranger brought old memories to the surface, back when I traveled alone—before Carter came back into my life and I was living with Mallory. I realized if she had seen me with this guy, she would’ve wanted to date him. And Amanda would’ve hated it. I chuckled.
“What’s that?” Brian asked, merging with the traffic.
“Nothing. Just ‘another time, another place’ sort of thought.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Amanda’s boyfriend. I shook my head. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” I was going to make her leave him. If someone made me leave Carter—I would’ve left them instead. “You love her?”
“I do.”
I nodded. “Good. She’s a good friend.”
“She’s a good person.”
“Yes, she is.”
He glanced at me before looking back to the road. “She cares about you a lot.”
I cared about her, too. My gaze fell to my lap, remembering the bomb that night. I had chased after her so she didn’t end it with him. “She really loves you.”
“I know,” he said. Then he cleared his throat. “Listen, uh. I’m not a fool. I know how tight you are with Amanda. I know about you, her, Mallory, and some guy she always describes as a pain in the ass.”
I smiled. Amanda had hated Ben more than I had.
“I know there’s history, and I know you’re in love with Carter Reed,” he continued. “I’m a cop, but I’m just trying to show you that I get the complexities of this situation.” He coughed again, shifting in his seat. “But, uh, I’m in it for the long haul. I don’t know how to say this. I guess, well, I never want Amanda to get hurt.” He held a hand out to emphasize his point. “So…you know… I—we can leave it at that. If you know what I mean.”
I wasn’t sure, but I bobbed my head up and down. “Oh. Okay.”
“I came to New York while she was there. She told me that woman on the news was your sister. Well, okay. That’s a lie. I saw the woman on the news, and I know who you are. You could be twins. Amanda kept quiet. I don’t know if she was going to tell me or not, but I came out because I wanted to support her any way I could.”
I snuck a peek at him. He wasn’t looking at me. His head moved up and down like he was talking to the traffic as he drove. He tugged at the collar of his shirt and his hand would wave in the air from time to time as he spoke.
He was nervous.
For some reason, that settled the nerves in my stomach. He clearly loved Amanda. I could hear it in his voice and I saw it now, in the way he tried to appease me. As he kept talking, I stopped listening, but I was glad I hadn’t made Amanda break up with him
“Carter said you were an honorable guy,” I told him.
He stopped mid-sentence and looked at me for a moment. “Really?”
I nodded and looked back to my lap, wrapping my hands around each other. “He did.”
“Oh.”
Before he said anything else, I murmured, “Treat her right. Always.”
“Oh.” This ‘oh’ was much quieter than the first one. “Yeah. I’m hoping to. The always part, I mean.”
“Yeah. I got it.”
“Not that you should—” He lifted his hand in the air again.
I cut him off. “She’ll say yes.”
“Oh,” he said a third time, but this one was breathless. His hand dropped to his lap. “Wow. Okay, I mean. Yeah.” He nodded to himself and sat straighter in the seat. “All right. Thank you.”
One more nod. My neck muscles were protesting from the continuous up and down motion. “Yep.” The sign for the hospital came up, and I pointed. “There’s our exit.”
“Oh, yeah.” He swung to the right lane, and it wasn’t long before he pulled up to the entrance, and I got out.
He held a hand up. “I won’t be long. She said they’re in the seventh floor lobby now.” Then he pulled away toward the parking ramp.
The doors slid open as I approached and walked inside. Right away, I heard, “Oh my god, Emma!”
Amanda and Theresa rushed for me. They threw their arms around me, and I was engulfed in the tightest group hug ever. Noah stood back and gave me a little wave.
